MineralsGroup1

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Minerals!


*Mineral's are solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition*




Characteristics of a Mineral:

There are many characteristics of a mineral. Such as, elements or chemical compounds that are normally crystalline. They have been formed as a result of geological processes. To be classified as a mineral, a substance must be a solid, have a crystalline structure, be inorganic and be naturally occuring. The mineral has to be a solid which means that it can not be a liquid or a gas. It has to have a cystalline structure which means they were composed of crystals. It has to be non living, which is inorganic and it needs to be made by nature. It can not be man made.



Chemical Properties of a Mineral-

  • Minerals may be classified according to chemical composition.
  • A mineral is a solid that occurs naturally.
  • Has a definite chemical composition, has its atoms arranged in an orderly pattern.
  • Every mineral type contains defined amounts of specific molecules in its structure




Mineral Families-

  • Feldspar- are all made of a constant component (aluminum plus silicon plus oxygen) plus a variable component (either potassium and/or sodium and/or calcium). In the schematic diagrams, the constant component is represented by black dots; the variable component is represented by colored dots.
  • Mica- biotite and muscovite break into flat, flaky pieces, and have other properties in common. But due to a small, but significant difference in one of the chemical components, their colors and electrical conductivity vary.


Physical Properties of Minerals-

What Is Physical Property- A Physical Property is any charecteristic of an objects appearance. such as..

  • Streak - color a mineral leaves when it is rubbed across an unglazed porcelain plate or when it is broken up and powdered.
  • Luster - the way that a mineral reflects light from its surface ; two types are metallic and nonmetallic.
  • Cleavage - a mineral that splits relatively easily and evenly along one or more flat planes
  • Hardness - a measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched.
  • Fracture -


THREE DIRECTIONS OF CLEAVAGE.

  1. NATURALLY OCCURRING existing by nature and without artificial aid
  2. INORGANIC Never lived; though graphite, diamond, calcite may be bioproducts of organisms
  3. CRYSTALLINE


  1. The act of splitting or cleaving.
  2. The state of being split or cleft; a fissure or division.
  3. Mineralogy. The splitting or tendency to split of a crystallized substance along definite crystalline planes, yielding smooth surfaces.
  4. Embryology.
    1. The series of mitotic cell divisions that produces a blastula from a fertilized ovum. It is the basis of the multicellularity of complex organisms. Also called segmentation.
    2. Any single cell division in such a series.
  5. Chemistry. The splitting of a complex molecule, such as a polysaccharide, into simpler molecules.
  6. Informal. The hollow between a woman's breasts, especially as revealed by a low neckline.

Special properties-

  • Double Refraction - occurs whena ray of light passes through the mineral and is split into two rays.
  • Effervescence - occurs when reaction with hydrochloris acid causes calcite to fizz
  • Magnetism - occurs between minerals that contain iron; only mahnetite and pyrrhotete are strongly magnetic.
  • Iridescence- a play of colors, caused by the bending of light rays
  • Fluorescence - occurs when some minerals are exposed to ultraviolet light, which causes them to glow in the dark.